The House of Hades I
by Megaeia
Summary: A version of The House of Hades, the fourth book in The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan.
1. I Hazel

I Hazel

Hazel hated dreams. Usually she used the term "strongly dislike," but it was necessary at this point to use the former. It had been one full day since they had found the Athena Parthenos in Rome. One day that they had been sailing to Epirus, to the House of Hades and the Doors of Death. One day since Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus, through the endless pit to the Underworld.

Nico updated them whenever he felt like everyone needed encouragement, so about every three hours Hazel would hear him say, "I don't feel anything" or "They're not dead." Hazel knew that he was just trying to be positive and friendly, but it honestly didn't help them much. So when everyone headed off to bed the second night, all she wanted to do was fall asleep and rest, but of course, her dreams had another plan in mind.

That night, she dreamt of a sunny place. Birds chirped, leaves swayed in the cool breeze, and clouds dotted the sky. From where Hazel was though, she was looking down at the paradise-like landscape. Manipulating her view, she looked in back of her, and fought to catch her breath. Bones littered the floor of the cave she was kneeling in, and a figure was hunched over in the darkness, muttering to their self. Hazel inched closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of the figures face, but its voice was what kept her away.

It was heartbroken, torn, and soaked in grief. Hazel tried to pull herself back; she didn't want to see this person. But her dream had a mind of its own, pulling her back to the figure, forcing her to look at its front. She stared into its eyes and let out a strangled yelp. The figure's face was covered in dirt and blood, and its skin was as white as a ghosts', which Hazel knew firsthand. Its dark hair was caked and shaggy, and its clothing was ripped and in tatters. It was muttering "no, no," to itself, and a small object was clutched tight in its hand. A bead of coral. Hazel stared into the fading face of Percy Jackson.

Her dream changed. She stood at the front of the Argo II, letting the wind whip her hair. She saw Nico and a man standing at by the wheel, arguing, by the looks of it. From her locked position, Hazel could hear a murmur of the conversation.

"I have to," Nico said urgently. "It's the only way."

The man growled. "I will not allow it." His voice was harsh and smooth, like a villain in a horror movie. Hazel had heard a voice like that somewhere... "My realm has been penetrated too many times. Allowing four demigods into it would be…" The man shook his head.

"Asking a favor of Death?" Nico inquired. "My lord, it is necessary for this quest to succeed. I will guide them. I know the way."

"Yet you were captured," the man pointed out. "You were lost, captured, threatened, and took. You, boy, are leading these children to their deaths."

Nico's face turned whiter, which Hazel didn't know was possible. "They are strong," he said. "They will survive, with my help."

Hazel could hear the strain in Nico's voice. He was running out of reasons.

"My lord," he insisted. "I-"

"I forbid it!" The man spoke with such force, the ship rumbled. "I am the superior here. You will not-" He stopped. Hazel's back felt like it had been punctured. The man turned away from Nico, toward Hazel. It was too dark to see his face, and she could barely make out his features, but Hazel felt like she was with Death again, just waiting to be taken away. The man faced Nico again and said, "I must leave," and with a wisp of dark, dusky smoke, he was gone.

Hazel's dream ended.

**…**

Hazel woke with a start. Her cabin was cold, but she was overheating. A few books were stacked on her dresser, and her cavalry sword was propped by her nightstand. Besides those, her room was empty, and looking around it made Hazel feel a little lonely.

Her stomach growled. Hazel hadn't noticed before, but she was starving. She sat up, ran a hand through her tangled hair, straightened her pajamas, grabbed her sword, and headed to the mess hall. Even before she was inside, Hazel could smell the French toast. She had only had it once before when she lived in New Orleans, but Leo insisted that his French toast would, to put it in his exact words, _beat the snot_ out of any other breakfast foods. _Mmm…_ She walked into the mess hall, grabbed a plate, and piled four slices of the toast on it, along with a mountain of syrup and a small hill of butter.

"Are you hungry?" Jason asked from behind her, laughing.

Hazel turned to face them, and blushed. Leo, Jason, Piper, and Frank were all enjoying their breakfasts, lounging in plushy pastel chairs. She had been so preoccupied with her stomach's needs, she had forgotten to greet her friends. "Sorry," she apologized. "I just…"

"Hey, no worries," Leo said to her. "No one can resist my delicious t_orrijas,_" he said slyly, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"Morning, Hazel," Piper called from her seat. She had a small smile on her face, but she had dark bags under her eyes as well. She looked exhausted, just like everyone else. Even Leo, who was about as ADHD as a toothpick was breakable, looked about ready to pass out even after a full night of sleep.

"Hi, everyone." Hazel managed a small smile like Piper's, and took her seat next to Frank. She was still thinking about her dream, and seeing Percy in the cave, so _broken_…"Where's Nico? And Coach Hedge?" She asked.

"They're sleeping," Frank said with a yawn. He had barely touched Leo's _torrijas, _and they were drowning in syrupy maple goodness. "Coach was watching the MMA championship finals last night, and they were still going on at ten o'clock. And I think Nico…"

He didn't finish his sentence, probably because he didn't know why Nico wasn't awake yet. Nico never seemed to need any sleep. But Hazel had a bad feeling that it had to do with her dream, and Nico and that man's conversation on the deck of the ship.

"So," Piper remarked, smoothly changing the subject. "When do we get to Greece, Leo?"

Since they had been sailing for a day, they couldn't be that far away from Greece, or Epirus. So Leo, making the grand gesture of wiping the toast crumbs off of himself and straightening his stained t-shirt, walked up to their map of the world and began explaining.

"As Supreme Commander of this very fine ship," he began in a tour guide-ish voice, "I have navigated us on the shortest and most scenic route through the skies of the Mediterranean to get to Greece. We will be making a short stop in the beautiful island of Kerkyra before we reach Epirus to refuel, repair, and resupply. We should be landed by about two o'clock this afternoon. Any questions?"

Jason raised his hand. "Leo?"

"Yes, Mr. Grace?" Leo asked with a waiter accent. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, when we get to-" He was cut off by the sharp dipping of the ship's stern, sending all of them sliding backward. A heavy chorus of thuds sounded on the deck after the ship balanced again, as if a pile of very large and very full boxes had toppled over.

"Leo," Piper said with a curious tone in her voice. "What was that-"

"Don't know," Leo said with a mouth full of _torrija_. "Gotta find out." He grabbed another slice of toast and shoved it into his tool belt. Hazel shared a tired look with Piper and tightened her grip on her sword. With one last longing stare at the pile of French toast, she ran with Jason, Piper, and Frank to the deck.


	2. II Hazel

II Hazel

Gods, sometimes Hazel thought that things really couldn't get any more other- worldly. She'd seen Gaea's son form from a pit in the dirt. She'd died and come back to life, and she'd traveled by horse from Hubbard Glacier to San Francisco in under 5 hours. But she had never_ ever_ seen seven-foot-long ravens nesting in the mast of an ancient Greek trireme, and judging from her friends' looks, they hadn't either.

Hazel remembered the ravens from her time in Anchorage. Never once had there been a day when she hadn't seen them, and never once had there been a day when their beady eyes hadn't scared the living daylights out of her. She remembered when the raven spoke to her on that one day too, "The last day. Today."

Hazel had always thought that the ravens were some kind of symbol from her father. The one time she had met him, Pluto's deadly black eyes and sleek appearance had always rendered to a raven. Now, she was sure that the ravens were a sign; to her as well as Nico. She remembered her dream, the part with the man and Nico. Could it be…?

"What the ha-va-da-ba…?" Leo broke the shocked silence as he fiddled with a piece of purple sparkly pipe cleaner, unconsciously fashioning a voodoo stick figure that looked suspiciously like Frank. All five of them had been staring at the nest from a very safe distance away, with a mixture of both fear and disbelief. "What the heck are farm birds doing on my ship?"

"Leo," Piper said steadily and slowly, "These are ravens, not crows. Ravens are much larger, but usually they're not this... huge. I remember hearing something about them at Camp once-"

She was cut off by the stumbling of Nico onto the deck. His hair was ruffled like he'd gotten up in a hurry, and his pitch black leather jacket was pulled on too, even though it must have been over seventy degrees outside already. "I'm here," he confirmed, straightening and steadying himself. He looked around as if trying to orient himself with the ship and catch up with whatever he may have missed while he was sleeping. He didn't seem to notice the fact that everyone was now staring at _him_, and that the deck had gone silent. His eyes eventually landed on the ravens in the mast, and his mouth dropped into a small _o_. "Uhhh…"

"Ravens," Hazel said, saving him. "They just kind of landed here, and…" She wanted to talk to him about her dream, but she couldn't. Not out in the open where anyone (or anything) could hear. Besides, Hazel wasn't even positive that the birds were from their father, and she knew that Nico was stressed enough. She locked eyes with him for a moment, and asked him a silent question. _Are they from dad? _His shook his head slightly. _Not here._

"What do we do about them?" Frank spoke up from his place safely behind a bag of dangerous explosives. "It's not like we can just keep sailing with Big Birds 1 and 2."

"Words of wisdom, my shape- shifting friend," Leo remarked. "I have a plan, but not a very good one. Jason, I'll need you to stay and help me. You too, Piper. And Hazel," he said, pointing a French toast crust at her, "I need you to wake up Coach Hedge. If push comes to shove, his bat might come in handy. Now," Leo clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Who's ready for Operation Fried Raven?"

**…**

Hazel was still hungry. As she and Frank headed to Coach Hedge's cabin, her stomach growled louder than usual.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Hazel blushed. "Yeah," she said. "Just a little hungry."

"Oh," he said. "Didn't you eat any of Leo's toast? It's the 'best on the face of Gaea.'"

"Didn't get a chance too," Hazel said as they neared Hedge's cabin door. "But I'm fine. Really."

"Oh. Okay."

Frank knocked once on the door, then jumped back quickly, as if he had been saying good-morning to death-obsessed satyrs for centuries. As soon as he was out of the range of fire, a baseball bat thrust its way into the hallway, followed quickly by a loud and sharp, "Who's there?"

"Frank. And Hazel. Frank and Hazel," Frank stuttered. He seemed nervous, and Hazel couldn't blame him. The faun- satyr- could probably hit you with that baseball bat with enough force to send you flying all the way to New York City.

"Oh. Well then," Coach grunted as he stepped into the hallway. Yawning, he swung his bat over his shoulder and bleated. He started towards the hallway, smacking his lips as if trying to wake them up. He stopped short and sniffed the air suspiciously. "Is that French toast that I smell?" He asked himself. "Gee, I haven't had toast like that since I was baby goat…"Coach trotted into the mess, talking to himself the whole way and leaving Frank and Hazel standing in the hallway.

"Is it just me," Frank speculated, "or did he just have a whole conversation with himself centering around the subject of French toast and his young satyr-hood memories?"

Hazel smiled. Frank was so sweet, and he made her smile even when she was having a rough day. "Yeah, I heard it too," she said. As they headed after Coach Hedge into the mess hall (it had become pretty clear to everyone that whenever you had 'Hedge duty,' you had to keep an eye on the coach at all times), Hazel began thinking of her dream again. She had to tell _somebody_, but she didn't want to tell everyone. She didn't have anything against anyone on the ship, but she didn't want them all to worry when she _herself_ still didn't fully understand what her dream was supposed to mean yet.

As soon as they were in the mess, Hazel crashed on one of the soft chairs with a slice of toast. (Even if it was only one slice, Hazel was grateful anyway.) It would've been nicer if she could have just relaxed, but Hazel knew that the things on her mind had to come first.

"Frank," she started, "I had a dream last night." Hazel described the first part of her dream, the part with Percy, but she left out the part of the conversation between Nico and the man. She trusted Frank more than anyone, but she felt as though she should cover the topic with Nico before she addressed it with anyone else.

"And," Hazel finished, "I'm not sure what I should do." She searched Frank's face, hoping that she hadn't confused him with all the details. She just felt that everything should be covered. This was Percy that she had seen. Percy was one of her best friends, and ever since he and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus, Hazel felt a little lost in this group of people. Percy, Frank, and she had been a trio, after all.

"I… I don't know," Frank finally replied. "Who else have you told?"

"No one. Percy is strong, Frank, we both know that. But we also know that he might not be strong enough to survive in the Underworld on his own."

"But he has Annabe- oh…" Hazel's thoughts seemed to dawn in Frank's mind. "The pendant. The coral bead was on Annabeth's Camp Half-Blood necklace. Does this… do you think it means she's…?"

Frank left the thought hanging in the air. "I don't know." Hazel knew it now. Her heart seemed to well down into her chest. Percy loved Annabeth, and if anything happened to her, Hazel didn't know what would happen to Percy, especially since he was down in the mosh pit of all deceased souls.

"Frank," she managed to say, "What are we going to do now?"


	3. III Reyna

III Reyna

Reyna wished that she hadn't taken the night shift. Camped outside of the legion's now- owned Queen's Crown Motel, she sat on a blue folding chair with the 30% off! sticker still stuck on the side, a spear propped by the door, and an old light shadowing a faint and eerie ring around the motel entrance. Whatever god had invented motels, she was pretty sure that it wasn't a major one.

The cohorts had taken over the Riverview Motel of Queens, all five of them separated with girls on the top two floors and boys on the bottom four. No chaperones, though Gwen had joined back up with the Fifth Cohort to help out Dakota while Frank was… wherever Frank was. Sleeping bags littered the floor, and it was like navigating a maze whenever you walked around. Weapons and supplies were in each room and hallway, and small suitcases and duffel bags served as pillows.

Reyna shivered as she wrapped one of the legion's thermal blankets tighter around her. She was practically freezing her _podex _off, even in a long- sleeved t- shirt and pants. She was exhausted from another day's mapping and planning and strategizing and erasing and writing and documenting and organizing… a praetor's to- do list went on and on. Without another praetor automatically, Octavian had worked his way into becoming even more annoying, which Reyna didn't even know was possible. To make matters worse, Octavian had gotten the whole third cohort to agree with everything he said, mainly because the centurions of the third were total _ignavi._

As a daughter of Bellona, Reyna knew that she needed to consider strategies from all different points of view. But Octavian's point of view was one- way only; to destroy Camp Half- Blood until there was nothing more of it, starting with the cabin of the sea god. Reyna wasn't entirely sure of what the legion of where the legion was planning on going with that, but she had managed to state that all ideas and reports must be passed down to her before further discussion. The auguries, if Octavian took his knife out of a stuffed parrot long enough to read them, foretold that the goddesses Fortuna and Bellona honored their courage with hopes of a victorious and prosperous defeat of the Greeks, and good luck to all the warriors that dared to tread on the weak ground of the _graceus. _Octavian also announced that Jupiter praised them for their loyalty, given that his son didn't follow his code of conduct. Reyna didn't know how a WebkinzTM could give him that kind of reading, but she was willing to take whatever she could get.

Reyna stood up and used the blanket as a shawl. She paced back and forth in front of the motel doors, the dank light cast by the dingy lamp making odd shadows across the pavement. Every once in a while she would hear the sound of a cat fight in another neighborhood, or see a raccoon dart across the street, carrying a Happy Meal bag in its mouth, vaguely resembling a very large and dirty rat.

A Happy Meal… Reyna smiled as she remembered one of the quests that she and Jason had went on together, two years ago. They had been in bad shape, sleeping in the woods and eating maybe once a day. When they finally did find a place to get food for cheap, McDonalds, Jason had ordered a Happy Meal, with a side of basically everything else on the menu. They sat in one of the red and yellow plastic booths, spread their food out, and ate every last bit. It wasn't a fancy or filling meal, but it was enough.

Reyna smiled. She remembered when they were playing death-ball at camp, and instead of the acid balls, Jason had switched them out with mustard and ketchup packets, so that everyone that got hit was an instant hot dog. She remembered when they had been assigned to clean Hannibal's pen one day, and instead Jason had used his storm powers to summon rain to clean it out for them. She remembered the time that they had spent preparing for the battle with the Titans, and how many of her friends were lost in the battle on top of Mount Othrys. She remembered fighting alongside Jason, watching him kill almost every monster that came at him, fighting in the name of the king of the Gods.

She remembered when he had disappeared too. It was like he had fallen off the face of the earth. Nobody knew where he might have gone, or what happened to him. He was just… gone. Reyna had worked as hard as she could as a single praetor, insisting to the legion that there was a chance that their lost hero could still be alive. But with Octavian working harder than ever to become praetor, she was almost out of hope when… when Percy arrived.

Reyna recognized Percy immediately from her time working for the sorceress Circe. He had the same sea- green eyes and dark black hair. At first she was angry at him for ruining the only home that she had known, and then showing up four years later carrying a highly respected goddess, killing gorgons, and controlling the Little Tiber. But he was brave and kind and loyal as well, all the things that a true Roman should be. Reyna remembered when he had come back victorious from his quest, saving the camp, and how the legions had demanded that he become praetor along with her. But he had convinced Reyna to let the visitors from his other home into Camp Jupiter, destroying most of New Rome.

With Octavian and the other cohorts thirsty for revenge, they had caught up to the seven demigods in half the time that they originally thought they would, in Charleston. The seven had escaped, but the legion knew what Plan B was already; Camp Half- Blood.


	4. IV Jason

IV Jason

Jason seriously needed a break. A mouthful of raven feathers and a near- miss with Leo's eyebrow later, Jason was completely drained. Leo had created small knick- knack type things that glittered when they hit the sunlight, and with the help of Piper's charmspeak, there were now seven-foot-long blinged- out ravens roaming the skies of the Mediterranean. Jason hadn't done anything; he just stood there looking strong and powerful with the gladius he had received from Juno at the ready.

Last night, nightmares invaded his sleep. Mostly, they were memories of Jason's past battles with his friends from Camp Jupiter. Jason's memories had fully returned eight months ago, but some details were still vague, as if Juno's handy Erase-a-Past had some side-effects.

Piper came over and stood beside him. "Hey."

"Hey. You did good with those ravens. They really seemed to believe that Leo was the King of Shiny Things."

She laughed. "Thanks, but I don't think that's something I could put on a resume; _Talents: can convince giant ravens to leave nest of ancient Greek trireme."_

Talking to Piper always made Jason feel better. He felt like he could say almost anything to her. "Yeah," he said. He blinked his eyes hard to keep them from shutting all the way, and stifled a yawn.

"You okay, Jason?" Piper asked. Her multicolored eyes sparkled blue today, flecked with specks of gold and green…

"Oh. Oh, yeah, I'm okay," he shook his head and smiled at Piper again. "Didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."

"Have you been having dreams?" A gray shadow passed over her face, making the gold in her eyes turn silver.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Just more memories."

"Still? I thought those all came back already."

"They did. These are more like… nightmares, I think. Dreams of the bad memories."

"Oh."

Jason could feel the uncomfortable silence. He changed the subject. "So, aren't we lucky to be on an exceptionaly dangerous quest to one of the most influential places on Earth, huh?"

He eyes lit up. "Yes! Ever since I read the Greek myths, helping my dad with his research for _The King of Sparta, _I've wanted to visit Greece. It just seemed so… beautiful, like a place where you could roam forever and ever, and still not know everything about it. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," he smiled, and she seemed to relax a bit.

The deck was quiet. Piper turned to him with a troubled look in her eyes and asked, "Do you ever wonder what Percy and Annabeth are doing now? Where they are? What's happening to them?"

Jason looked away. He didn't know how to answer. Sure, he worried about Percy and Annabeth, down there in the land of the dead, alive, but he didn't know what he to say. How could he tell Piper that they would find a way to rescue them, if he couldn't even convince himself of it?

"I don't know," he said. "But I do know that we'll all try our hardest to find them. Leo's got a whole route calculated, and don't forget about Hazel and Frank. They'll help too. We'll find a way."

Piper opened her mouth like she was about to respond when they heard a gruff voice growled from the top of the stairs, "Cupcakes!"

Piper rolled her eyes and shot Jason a smile. "Morning, Coach."

Coach Hedge swung his baseball bat over his shoulder, like a hitter walking towards home plate. He trotted over to them, his hooves clomping on the wooden planks. He breathed in and snorted, smiling like he had just had some vintage 1920's furniture for breakfast. "This fresh air does an old goat good. Smells just like Mellie…" He trailed off, looking into the clouds dreamily.

Jason's sleep-deprived mind chose that peaceful, reminiscent moment to catch up with his mouth, as he let loose a huge yawn.

"Gee, boy. Did any of you cupcakes get any sleep last night?" Coach grunted. "I'll tell you what, kid; why don't you go lie down, and we'll get you up when we land. Got it?"

"No, Coach, really, I'm okay…"

Hedge held up a hand. "Don't worry, boy. We can keep this ship running just fine without you as Mr. Lightning Man for a few hours, right McLean?" He patted Piper hard on the back.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Jason, you do know that you're so tired you're attracting clouds, right?"

It was true. A cluster of book- sized, light gray clouds hovered over Jason's head. Sometimes that happened to him when he was tired, angry, or upset; clouds came.

"Fine," he said. "Wake me up in Kerkyra."

**. . .**

Jason would've taken being tired the whole day over falling asleep anytime. The second his head hit that pillow, he was pulled into another dream.

This time, he was in a cave overlooking a sunny place. Birds chirped and swans glided through a small blue pond. A little cottage sat among the green. In back of him, he heard someone wince in pain. He wasn't alone.

Jason turned around, and stopped short when he saw who he was with. In the back of the cave, leaning against the warm rock, was Annabeth Chase. Percy Jackson crouched next to her, tying a piece of cloth that looked like it had been ripped from his shirt, around her make- shift splint.

"Done," Percy said.

Annabeth sat up. "We need to let the splint stay for a while. Two hours, minimum," she instructed.

Percy moved to sit next to her. "We'll rest, then. I could use some time to relax."

Mist engulfed Jason's dream. He was now standing in front of a building. Black stone columns held polished black metal torch holders. Black metal doors were shielded from view, but Jason's dream- self weaved through the columns, pulled toward them. Above the doors, a Greek word was barely visible: **άδης** . Jason didn't have time to think about it; he was being tugged towards the doors. As he got within two feet, the doors cracked open. Light seeped through them, and hisses and snarls escaped from within, like whatever was through the doors was laughing, waiting for Jason to come to it.

_No! _He tried to yell. Jason shoved his feet against the ground, but they seeped through the stone like water. He was dragged towards the door, and was barely six inches away from it. The door opened wider. The sounds became more animated, more excited. Jason was blinded by the bright light as he was pulled through the door. _Come to die, little hero!_

**. . .**

Jason woke up, sweating, to the sound of Hazel screaming.


	5. V Hazel

V Hazel

For the record, Hazel hadn't screamed _that _loudly. She couldn't help it if she was just a little freaked out when a black- as-death pegasus had crash landed on the deck of the Argo II right as she walked up the stairs. It definitely wasn't the scariest thing that she had ever seen, but it almost knocked the living daylights out of her, distressed as she already was.

All at once, Frank, Jason, Leo, Piper, and Coach Hedge rushed up the stairs. They looked about as surprised as Hazel felt.

"Bring it on, cupcake!" Coach Hedge yelled. He swung his baseball bat in a large ark, barely missing Frank's forehead. "I got a whack of a bat with your monster- breath all over it!"

"Oh, great!" Leo sighed. He shook his head in exasperation and held up a shiny piece of aluminum foil. "Here, birdie, birdie, birdie! Edible and crinkly thingy over here!"

Jason breathed a sigh of relief. "Relax, Leo. It's not another raven. It's Percy's pegasus, Blackjack."

Piper wrinkled her nose. "You mean the one that I made hit Percy in the head?"

"And knocked him out?" Jason asked. "Yeah, he's the one."

Piper's face paled. "Oh," she said in a small voice.

The pegasus was whinnying mournfully on the ground, and the sound made Hazel's heart drop a little. She had always wanted a pegasus, ever since she would see them flying through the sky at night in over Anchorage. She had always been jealous of Reyna for her pegasus, Scipio, too. Now, looking at one right in front of her, it would have seemed too good to be true, if it wasn't Percy's.

Hazel kneeled down by the pegasus, which was lying on its left side, its wing bent under its large, sleek body. Hazel could even feel the pegasus' spine through it's dark fur, and she could see his ribs outlined on his fur too.

"He hasn't been eating for at least nine days," Hazel said as she stood up and faced her friends. She had learned as much as she could about horses when she had lived in Louisiana, and among that, she knew how to treat them if they ever got hurt. "I can see that much. Also, his left wing is bent and caught under his side."

Frank, who was standing beside Leo, lowered his bow. "Is the wing broken?"

Hazel shook her head. "I can't tell, but I don't think so. It could just be sprained, but-"

"_Sprained?" _Leo exclaimed. "Dude, that thing almost took out three of my floorboards! You think that it's 'a sprain?'"

Hazel rolled her eyes and ignored him. Sometimes, Leo cared more about his ship than anything- or anyone- else. "I need ambrosia," she said to Piper. "And some bandages. Anything soft that could help me wrap the wing." She shot Leo a look. "No one's personal belongings." Leo grumbled something and walked away.

Hazel turned to Coach Hedge, who had been standing alone dejectedly with no monsters to beat up. "I could use your nature and healing skills too, Coach," she said. "Do you have anything that you can do to make Blackjack's pain go away?"

"Let's see…" Coach Hedge swung his bat over his shoulder and passed his hand over the pegasus' form, murmuring something that may have sounded like some kind of pop song, but Hazel wasn't sure. She never could understand why anyone would want to listen to something like that over jazz.

"Okay," Coach grunted as he stood up. "The horse says that he was following us. Says that he thought something bad was going to happen to his boss, Sneaky Jackson. I guess since Jackson's old man created horses, they could communicate. The horse says that he owes Jackson one. I was able to take away some of the pain, but it's probably still a little, er, sore."

Hazel put her hand on the pegasus' muzzle, letting him sniff her scent. She traced her hand over his head then stood up as Piper and Leo walked back with some of the First Aid supplies.

"Okay," she said to the pegasus. "This is going to hurt a… lot. But I'm going to need you to get up."

Blackjack huffed, and Coach Hedge translated, "I don't want to say those words in front of children, but I think he's trying to say 'no, thank you.'"

Hazel sighed and turned to Piper. "Charmspeak, please?" She pleaded.

Piper paled again. "Pegasi don't hold grudges, right?"

"I don't think so," Hazel said.

Piper sighed. "Fine."

With a few soft words of encouragement, Blackjack managed to get up onto his hooves. He was stumbling though, and given the tone of his neighs, Hazel assumed that he was only up because of Piper's charmspeak.

"Hold him still on his right side," Hazel ordered. "I'll wrap his left wing." She used a pillow (which Leo insisted was an extra, even though it had strands of Frank's hair on it) to put under the pegasus' wing, and she used a strand of gauze to hold it in place. Quickly, she murmured some nice words to the horse as she wrapped a long bandage cloth over Blackjack's wing and under his stomach. He neighed in a high-pitched tone, and Coach Hedge told him to watch his language.

"Done," Hazel said finally. She looked over her work with satisfaction. "That should hold until we're able to get to the island for more supplies. " Calling over Frank and Jason, the two boys led Blackjack down to the glass-bottomed stables, and then drugged him with a bit of ambrosia and a small dose of nectar. In no time, all five of them (there was a wrestling championship marathon on ESPN- English subtitles included- which Coach Hedge was watching) were crashed out in the mess once again.

"Leo," Piper complained. "When are we going to get to Ker- Kry- Key- wherever we're going?" She asked.

"I don't know, Pipes, what time is it?" Leo snapped. " 'Cause I remember that I specifically told everyone here where and when we were-"

"Okay!" Hazel butted in. She didn't know why, but Leo seemed more agitated than usual. He was losing his nerve with everyone this morning, and she didn't like it. She was used to seeing Leo smile and make jokes, not scowl and pick fights.

Hazel thought back to her dream, and her conversation with Frank. It had been in the back of her mind the whole time she was treating Blackjack, and she knew that it was important to tell everyone what she had dreamt. Right as she opened her mouth, though, Jason beat her to it.

He cleared his throat and looked at each of them. "Hey, guys, I had a really weird dream last night." He told them about how he had seen Percy and Annabeth in a cave, and how Annabeth was hurt. All throughout his story, Frank was watching Hazel, and Hazel knew why.

The dreams didn't match up. The only thing that was the same was the setting, the peaceful, paradise-like landscape and a cave overlooking the view. But the rest was different. In Hazel's dream, Percy had been alone and broken, and Annabeth was nowhere to be seen. In Jason's description of his dream, Percy and Annabeth were together, though Annabeth was hurt. It didn't make any sense.

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Hazel said. "That doesn't add up." She recounted her dream to them, showing them how different the two were.

The group was silent.

"How do we know which dream is real?" Frank asked.

"There's no way," Jason said. "Mine seemed so real."

"Mine too," Hazel agreed. "There wasn't one detail in mine that didn't scream 'help.'"

Piper, who had been listening intently the whole time, spoke up. "Gaea. Gaea is toying with us."

Everyone looked at her, and she looked each person back straight in the eyes. "She's sending us mixed messages in our dreams, trying to confuse us, make us feel worried and angry," Piper said.

Her words washed over Hazel powerfully. The different dreams were confusing, and she did feel worried. Why would Gaea want them to feel angry, though? Wouldn't that just make them more agitated to fight?

"Well we know one thing for sure," Leo said as he stood up. "We're here, everyone. Welcome to Greece."


	6. VI Piper

**A/N: Happy Holidays to all of my readers! A new chapter will be posted every week, with a POV from almost every character. Please read and review! I do not own PJO or HOO, sadly, but enjoy! -_Meg_**

VI Piper

Gods, Piper felt so sick. The only thing that could keep her mind off of all the bad stuff was thinking about Greece. Sure, Rome had been beautiful, but it was just so different compared to Greece. Both Kerkyra and Rome were equally stunning, but Piper just felt, well… more _connected _to Greece.

By the time Jason and she had gotten off of the Argo II, Piper was going crazy thinking about all the things that she wanted to do and see on the island. It was full of history and beauty, both of which appealed to her. The shoreline was bordered with chiseled white and gray cliffs, and soft white beaches melted into the crystal-clear blue and green waters of the Ionian Sea. The special effects in the King of Sparta almost looked amateur compared to the real view.

Piper felt jittery and excited when she got off of the ship with Hazel, Frank, Nico, and Jason. Leo and Coach Hedge were staying on the boat to look after Blackjack and keep an eye on things. Nobody was really in the mood to try to explain to the islanders why an ancient Greek trireme was parked in a little cove, but if the native fishermen could even see them, they didn't show any interest, just like the Romans.

Piper could tell that Jason and Nico were both excited to be off the ship, and Frank seemed relieved to be away from Leo. Ever since Percy and Annabeth had gone down into Tartarus, Leo had fallen into a solemn state of denial. He seemed happy only in the morning, when no one was pestering him with questions about the ship. He didn't even retort when Frank teased him, and he barely laughed at anyone's jokes. They had all agreed that he needed some alone time on the ship, and that they would be fine on the island by themselves. Leo wasn't too keen on the idea, but Piper could tell that he was relieved as well. He had given Hazel, Frank, and Nico a list of things to get on the island, and he had given Jason and her a bit of shorter list too. Now, Frank, Nico, and Hazel headed off to the north side of the island, and Jason and Piper headed to the east, each group multitasking with sightseeing and shopping.

As soon as they entered the busy streets, Piper grabbed Jason's hand and led him around photographing tourists, fish and pastry stands, and shops full of Greek trinkets. The buildings were a cultured mix of designs, with some even appearing to reflect Spanish architecture. Annabeth would've loved this, Piper thought, with a shot of pain in her chest. What Annabeth was doing now, Piper didn't know. The most that she'd heard from Nico was that, yet again, he didn't feel anything, so they shouldn't be… gone.

Holding Jason's hand, Piper briefed on the history of Kerkyra, much of which she had learned when she was researching with her dad on ancient myths.

"The island is commonly called 'Corfu,'" Piper began. "Which means 'city of peaks,' most likely because the land is so uneven."

She led Jason around some happy German tourists to walk by a stone wall overlooking the coast. Birds chirped and a cool sea breeze blew through the leaves of shady trees. Small waves of the clear water lapped the sandy beach lined with sunbathers. Piper continued her speech.

"There's a whole myth based on the island too. The Greeks believed that Poseidon, or Neptune, fell in love with a nymph named Korkyra. Korkyra was the daughter of the Greek mainland river god Asopus, and a river nymph named Metope. Poseidon abducted Korkyra, and took her to this island, which became Kerkyra in her honor. It was also said that Poseidon and Korkyra had a son named Phaiax, who was the father of Alcinous, a colleague of the Argonauts."

Piper stopped walking and looked behind her to Jason, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Pipes," he exclaimed, "how do you know all of that?"

She blushed. "Kind of Sparta research, I guess. And Wikipedia."

Jason shook his head like he couldn't believe she had actually memorized all of that stuff. The wind blew through his short blond hair, and Piper thought he looked regal and powerful standing at the edge of a cliff, staring at the blue water.

"Your dream," she said. She didn't want to push him, but she wanted to know what it was about Jason's dream that was bothering him. "You're worried."

Jason kept his eyes on the sea. "I don't know what to think. It seemed so real, but I know that Hazel would never lie to her friends. I think you right, Piper," Jason looked over at her. "Gaea is sending us mixed messages. She wants to confuse us."

Piper glanced down. "I know," she said quietly.

Jason took her hand. "No more thinking, though," he said, putting on a smile. "We've got a list from Leo, a tropical beach, and three hours. If we hurry, we can do some sightseeing before we have to report back to the Supreme Commander."

**. . .**

It wasn't hard to find the things that Leo needed on his list. Mostly, they needed to stock up on food, but other things, like paint and tools, were not available at the farmer's market. They found a Greek equivalent of an Ace Hardware store, and picked up some of the tools that Leo couldn't get from his tool belt there, and loaded themselves up with fifteen wooden planks from a Greek Home Depot. By the time they got to the farmer's market, both Piper and Jason were sweating and panting with their loads.

"Gods," Jason said as he collapsed on the stone ledge overlooking the sea.

Piper dropped beside him. "Back to the ship?" She panted.

Jason checked his compass. Leo had given each of them a compass that also told the time in case they needed it. "Two and a half hours," Jason said sadly. He looked at her.

Piper sighed. "No time for sightseeing," she agreed.

Jason sighed. "It's okay, Pipes," he said. "We can see other things when we're on the mainland."

"Right," Piper said. _If we live that long._ "Let's get back to the boat."

**. . .**

Thankfully, Leo let them stay on the island for dinner. Piper and Jason headed down to the beach for a sunset picnic, which Piper had no trouble with. A romantic sunset dinner on the beaches of a Grecian island… that was exactly the kind of thing that Aphrodite would applaud.

On the beach, Jason set out a stable blanket and some of the food from the farmer's market on the mat. Silently, watching the sun sink lower into the sky, they lounged and ate. After about twenty minutes, Jason sat up. The shadows cast by the sun and the sea made his face look chiseled, like the cliffs on the shoreline.

"There was something else," he began, glancing at Piper, "in my dream."

Hurriedly, Jason explained to her the scene of himself at an odd Greek house. When he was done, Piper stayed silent, and then asked, "Anything else?"

Jason opened his mouth like he was just about to talk when Leo yelled to them from the ship.

"Yo lovebirds!" He called. "Takeoff time! Pack up!"

Piper looked at Jason questioningly. "Another time?" She asked.

"Yeah," Jason said, still looking at the setting sun. "Another time."

They headed back to the ship.

**. . .**

Piper dreamed that she was in a boutique. Lotions and jars and perfumes were lined all around its sleek marble interior. Glass cabinets made the shop seem modern yet classic. A beautiful fountain with color-changing water was sprawled in the center of the boutique, and a pretty, young saleswoman was standing in front of it. The woman was murmuring in ancient Greek, talking to the water. As Piper approached, the woman stopped and turned around. Her eyes were an impaling green. She smiled at Piper.

"Hello," the saleswoman said. "Do you need any help?"

Piper wanted to say _no, thank you, _but she couldn't speak.

The woman smiled, and laughed lightly. "Oh, I see," the saleswoman remarked. "You want to look."

The woman stepped away from the fountain, and Piper felt herself drawn to it. The color-changing water seemed to emanate and aura of… freshness. It made Piper feel like she was unclean. She _wanted _to step into the water, and see what it could do.

"Daughter of Aphrodite," the woman said behind her. "See true beauty!"

Piper reached into the water.


	7. VII Jason

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Thank you very much for all your reviews, and for reading the story. Only 10 more months 'til the HoH release! OK. I hope you enjoy this chapter... Jason has some deep thoughts...**

VII Jason

Jason was worried. Today, when he and Piper were walking through Corfu, something didn't seem… right. The bad thing was that there had_ been_ no bad things. Not even one angry nymph or fruit vendor/monster-sent-from-Tartarus had attacked them as they were roaming the island. The only dangerous thing that had happened was a whack upside Jason's head with one of Leo's wooden planks. Piper had freaked out, though, but only because she said that she didn't want him to lose his memory again. The fact that nothing remotely life-threatening had happened to them at all that day just made Jason more nervous than usual, though he didn't know why. Shouldn't he have been happy? Really, it was a perfect day with his perfect girlfriend, but he had just felt agitated all the time. Like the calm before a storm.

He had heard both Reyna and Annabeth say that once. Reyna would say that instead of a day to relax, it was a day to prepare, a tactic that she repeated every time they were relaxing. Jason had never taken her seriously when she had said that, partially because he thought that she had heard it from a three hundred year-old hybrid guinea pig/pirate. But now, he thought a lot about it. Did that mean that something bad was going to happen tomorrow? It was like that with Annabeth and Percy. A slow day, and then they were gone. No warning. No hints. Just calm before they fell into Tartarus. _That_ had been the storm.

Lying in his bed in his cabin, Jason stared up at the dark ceiling, wishing that he could see the sky. Cloudy nights and days relaxed him. It somehow let him know that the gods were watching. Sometimes, that kind of freaked him out, mostly because he didn't want the gods to take a peek into his life and he was, like, farting in his sleep or something. Some "Son of Jupiter" he would be. But normally, he liked it. One time he had talked to Percy about the gods. Since Percy was older, he knew more than Jason did about life. Percy had said that the upside of having gods was that there was always a divine force to blame bad things on when they happened, just to let yourself know that it wasn't your own suck-ish luck. Leo had said something like that too, except he had also mentioned some odd thing about "organic life forms," which Jason hadn't really gotten.

Jason felt bad about the way he treated Leo. Ever since he and Piper had actually started dating, they hadn't gotten to hang out as much as usual. Leo had gotten agitated and sharp. He seemed to think that the best idea was to give Jason and Piper space, which Piper didn't seem to have a problem with. But Jason knew that something else was up. No matter how moody Leo was, he was still Jason's best friend. He shouldn't be treated like such an outsider, especially now. Jason could see that Leo liked Hazel… at least a little bit. He could see why, too. Hazel was kind, tough, and pretty, and even though she looked only thirteen, she was wise. Hazel was with Frank, though, and Frank definitely didn't like Leo. Some kind of odd tension was between the three of them that Jason couldn't really figure out… and wasn't sure he wanted to try too.

Too much thinking. Jason wasn't ADHD like Leo, but he still needed to move around a lot. Battle instincts as a Roman warrior; keep moving. Lupa had always said that. _Never let anyone catch you off guard. _The only person that had ever- _ever_- caught Jason Grace off guard was… was Reyna.

Jason felt guilty, even though he knew he shouldn't be. When he had given Piper that speech/apology about how he felt about her and Reyna, Jason hadn't lied… all the way. Piper was the most amazing person that he had ever met. She made him feel comfortable and relaxed whenever he was around her, but he didn't know what he felt for Reyna. He couldn't ignore the look that he had seen in Reyna's eyes when she first saw him and Piper walking off the Argo II hand-in-hand. Jason really, really liked Piper, and nothing like what he felt with Piper was what he had ever felt when he was with Reyna. But he had feelings for her Reyna, and he had lied about those feelings to Piper. Did that mean that he had something to hide, or that he was just confused…?

Way too much thinking. Jason sat up in his bed. He put his head in his hands and moaned. "Uhhh…" His sudden headache made his head throb. Standing up, he paced his room. He turned his lamp on, but the dank light made him feel kind of nauseous, and the dimness made the small room claustrophobic. Fresh air, he thought.

Jason walked up to the deck and breathed in the clean smell of the cool air. Leo had chosen to fly to Epirus instead of going by sea, which was great with Jason. The cool air and the light clouds veiled the bright stars. Below them, shrouded by gray wisps of cloud, the moon was reflected off the clear waters of the Ionian Sea… It was peaceful, undisturbed.

But in a snap, the peacefulness of the night was erased. Footsteps sounded on the stairwell leading up to the deck, interrupting the night as someone made their way onto the deck behind Jason. On instinct, Jason hid behind the mast of the Argo II. From his past experiences, people coming up to dark places in the middle of the night, dragging their feet in slow, solemn paces, usually meant something bad… well, not in his situation, but, typically.

A figure appeared at the top of the stairwell. It was tall and skinny, but had a slight hunch. _Nico di Angelo. _What was he doing up here? Jason hid more behind a stack of boxes; safely out of sight. Nico walked to the center of the deck. Standing there, he looked into the darkness and said, "Hello, Father."

Suddenly, a shimmering light illuminated the deck. When the light died down, Jason could see a dark figure silhouetted against the night. But Jason couldn't make out the exact shape of the figure, though. It seemed to be made of… liquid. It was _literally_ blended in with the darkness.

"You have not done what I have asked, boy." The figure's voice was oily and accented. It sounded like a Hollywood star that might have auditioned for the part of a villain. The voice was powerful, and sent tingles down Jason's back. Somehow, he _knew_. Jason had heard that voice before, somewhere.

Nico di Angelo shifted his weight. "I am working on it, my lord," he said. His head was bent low, but his eyes were fixed on the figure's face.

The air seemed to freeze. "You do not work hard enough, boy," the figure snarled. "Your loyalties are… swayed."

"No, my lord!" Nico assured the figure. He wringed his hands. "I just, um, tweaked the plan a_ tiny_ bit."

"You 'tweaked the plan?'" The figure asked, with an edge to its already edgy voice.

"Yes, my lord."

"And they do not suspect you?" The figure asked.

"No, my lord."

The figure started to shimmer. "I must leave. Remember your duty, boy. Remember where your loyalties lie."

"Y-yes, my lord."

"Do not fail me again," the figure said, becoming darker and darker as night. "Or this time, there will be consequences."

As the figure disappeared, Jason ducked behind his crate again. He heard Nico di Angelo mutter something in Greek to himself, which he was pretty sure his "Father" wouldn't have approved of, then he shuffled away down the stairs.

Jason's breath could be seen in the air. Since the figure left, the air temperature had dropped abnormally. Shivering, Jason quickly made his way back down to his cabin. Lying back in his bed, he stared up at the dark ceiling. Looking back on it, Jason felt oddly relieved. Something that he hadn't noticed until the dark figure talking to Nico had disappeared was that he had felt exhausted. The figure's presence seemed to drain his energy away, like a large, evil, spirit-sucking vacuum.

Jason had felt that way before. It was the feeling of life wearing thin. Jason knew now who Nico had talked to while the rest crew was supposed to be sleeping. He was sure of it, and the confirmations made the feeling of dread growing in his stomach deepen. The Lord of the Dead was watching them.

* * *

**A/N: OK. So just type a short review in the little box down there to tell me what you think (all opinions are valued). If you liked, loved, or are beginning to enjoy this version of the HoH, click a Follow or Favourite button, and make sure to tell your friends. Some... oh, how should I put this?... _surprises_ are on the way...**


	8. VIII Leo

VIII Leo

Leo was angry. Angry at the gods, angry at his friends, angry at the world, and angry at Chinese food. No matter what anyone said, Leo knew that it was his fault that Annabeth and Percy had fallen into Tartarus. The fortune cookie that Nemesis had given him could've gone either way; Leo could have used it to save either Percy and Annabeth or Frank and Hazel. Leo would never forgive himself if any of them died, but he understood what the fortune cookie was meant for now. Nemesis had said that it would aid him in a dangerous situation, but it was cursed. Nemesis was the goddess of revenge. She didn't care either way who survived, and she knew that Leo would use it on Frank and Hazel all along, even though it was meant for Percy and Annabeth. Leo didn't regret his decision about saving Frank and Hazel, but he blamed himself for Percy and Annabeth's fate, knowing that he could have changed it.

A small knock sounded on his door, and it was gently pushed open. Hazel stood in the doorway with a little tray piled with food. Leo could smell the quesadilla on it, something that his mother used to make for him with about every kind of cheese she could find in the fridge. He had programmed the ship's menu to make it after an ungodly long day. "Hey."

Leo put down one of Archimedes' scrolls. For the first time in two days, he was able to look at them without breaking down about what he sacrificed in order to get them. He had skimmed over about five already, but he was already overwhelmed. Archimedes' theories were brilliant; as an inventor, Leo couldn't even imagine what would have been brought to the world already if these scrolls had been discovered earlier. He was already working on creating one of Archimedes' smaller inventions. It was a small bar that could fit in his tool belt easily. With a press of a button, it could become a spear, javelin, and, with some tweaking, an iPhone. Leo had no idea how this guy had thought of things like this. He didn't even know how it was possible, and he was the one constructing the inventions. "Hey," he said.

Still standing in the doorway, Hazel held the tray up a little higher. "You missed dinner," she said. "Saved you some of the quesadilla and rice. May I…" She blushed, and Leo realized that she wanted to come in.

"Yeah," he said stupidly. "Yeah, come on in."

She set the dray down on his dresser and sat down on his bed by his desk. "Thanks," he said to her, "for the food."

Hazel looked down. "It's the least we could do." She looked at his desk. "What are you working on?"

"What? Oh. This?" Leo glanced back down to the scroll, and his parts in the marble. "Some of Archimedes' smaller inventions. This guy's got more complex ideas than Aristotle himself. This bar," he said, gesturing to the sketch of the prototype on Archimedes' scroll, "can elongate to become different kinds of weapons."

Hazel looked impressed, but then concerned. "That's amazing. But Leo…"

Leo wasn't done. "I thought," he rushed. "I thought that if I adjusted it a little bit, we could use it when we're fighting at the Doors of Death. A weapon like this…" He struggled to get his words out. "A weapon like this might be able to get Annabeth and Percy back."

"Leo," Hazel insisted.

"I know it's a stupid idea," he said. "But it's… it's all I've got."

"No." Surprised, Leo looked at Hazel, and she continued speaking. "It's a good idea, Leo. Really good. But we're going to need more than weapons. Have you tried to see how the sphere can upgrade the ship yet?"

Leo glanced at Archimedes' sphere sitting on his dresser. "Yeah, but I've only even begun to understand it. So far, I know that it can make the ship's defense weaponry as strong as if it was made of diamond. It would enhance the system so much, I could have autopilot, Festus, the masts, and dinner being made running at the same time. Plus, the ship could go at a maximum of 500 MPH with a motor and oar enhancement running at the same time."

Hazel's mouth dropped open, but Leo wasn't done. "Of course, that run the ship out of fuel in about 16 hours, but it would be the fastest Greek trireme ever to grace the skies and sees," he said dramatically.

Hazel was staring at him when he said that, like she was speechless. "Oh my gods, Leo," she exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

Leo blushed. "Yeah, well, don't give me all the credit. It's all from Archimedes."

"Leo, Archimedes thought of these inventions, yes. But you _created _them."

"Yeah," Leo snorted. "Now I just have to invent the world's largest grabber claw and win the Percy-and-Annabeth prize."

Hazel didn't speak for a second. "Leo…"

"I could have saved them," Leo murmured to himself. Tears pricked his eyelids, but he blinked them back.

"Leo, it wasn't your-"

"It wasn't what?" Leo snapped. He glared at Hazel. No more skirting around the subject. The quesadilla that Hazel had brought him was getting cold. He knew he shouldn't be made at Hazel. He needed to stay strong, but right now, he broke. "It wasn't what, my fault? You were there when I was with Nemesis, Hazel. You heard what she said, you saw the fortune cookie. It was my fault. I failed, and damned Percy and Annabeth to Tartarus." He buried his head in his hands.

Hazel's voice was hard. "Leo, you didn't fail. It wasn't your fault. Nemesis gave you no choice. The fortune cookie was a joke. You saved Frank and me, Leo. Do you regret that?"

Her words stung him. No, he didn't regret that at all. He just wished that there had been a way to rescue both pairs in time. "No," Leo said. "But there had to have been a loophole, another way." He banged his head on his desk. "I got there too late."

"No, Leo. Nemesis is trying to make this happen, just like Gaea tried to… like Gaea tried to…" Her voice broke, and Leo lifted his head up to look at her.

"Hazel," he said, "Hazel."

Her eyes were hard and gold, and when she spoke, her voice now hardly wavered. "We've all been played, Leo. Gaea tempted me with another life. She showed me the life that I_ could_ have had, the future that could have been mine. But it was a lie." Her words were firm. "Nemesis may be a god," Hazel said, "but she wasn't playing their cards when we met her."

They locked eyes. Hazel's glittering gold, Leo's brown. Leo remembered, back in the Salt Lake, before the bisabuelo business, when the same thing had happened. If Hazel hadn't figured out about Sammy being his grandfather, he thought, where would they be now?

In an instant, Leo wasn't sitting at his desk anymore. He was sitting under the cold shade of a magnolia tree. A fence bordered around a string of fields- pastures. Two horses, a tan stallion and another, were tied to the fence. Sitting under the tree, a picnic spread around them, sat Sammy and… "Hazel?" Leo asked out loud, confused.

Hazel shimmered next to him. Her eyes were watery, and she was shaking her head. "No," she murmured to herself. "No. Ella said that there would be no more memories!"

Leo was in another memory? His last hadn't been too pleasant, and he wasn't eager to repeat his experience. He watched Ghost Hazel and bisabuelo Sammy laughing under the tree. Suddenly, Sammy leaned over and kissed Hazel on the cheek. Leo couldn't hear what they were saying, but one thing rang loud and clear in his head: "Happy Birthday, Hazel."

Leo didn't want to look at Hazel, but the memory changed. Hazel gripped his arm.

"This isn't supposed to be happening," Hazel said. "Something's wrong!"

They were whisked, fast, through different scenes of different memories. Some were Leo's, some were Hazel's. War games at Camp Jupiter, fighting at Boreas' ice palace, fighting with Amazons, flying a helicopter, laughing at lunch in a café in Alaska, fighting at Lupa's Wolf House, the Feast of Fortuna, building the Argo II….

Lights flashed, voices rang in Leo's ears. It was like the flashback was intertwining their pasts for some unknown reason. Hazel's grip tightened on his arm, but Leo was too freaked out to notice the fact that he was losing circulation to that part of his body.

As soon as the flashes started, they stopped. Hazel and Leo were panting, and Leo was back in his chair. When he was able to breathe regularly again, he muttered something real smart and reassuring to Hazel like, "What the… uh-duh…. Hazel?"

Hazel had her hand pressed against her chest. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wet. Looking into her face, Leo saw tears streaming down from her cheeks. "Hazel…"

Without a word, Hazel got up. She walked to his doorway, leaving Leo in his chair. When she stood there, she stood tall and certain. She didn't look anything like a thirteen-year-old. She wiped her face and looked straight into his eyes.

"Trust is important, Leo," she said. Not once did she look away from his face. "Especially now. Don't give into temptation."

She left, leaving Leo with a headache, a pile of scrolls, a sphere, no idea of what was going on, and a cold tray of quesadilla.

* * *

**A/N: A bit long and Lazel, but please review, follow, and favourite. I appreciate it! I will most likely post the next chapter on Saturday night-Sunday morning, so keep posted. Thanks! -_Meg_**


	9. ANNOUNCEMENT

**Announcement for The House of Hades FF:**

Dear Readers,

I am very sorry for my lack of continuing with this FF story. Originally, I was planning on posting a new one in May at the release of the HoH cover that would begin the story anew, but I have since been preoccupied.

So, I have made my decision to keep this story up and create a new one of the summer that will also be labeled as The House of Hades, while this story has the title changed to The House of Hades I.

This new story will be up very shortly with regular updates, so please check in. This new story will be posted as soon as possible, and will start with the same basic storyline, but added detail, humor, and action.

I hope you enjoy reading the few chapters I have of this story, and will continue onto the next. If you would like to make a story based on the chapters I have in this The House of Hades I, please just PM and I'll OK you.

Yours truly,

MidnightParade


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